


Icarus

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Another Chance at the Brass Ring, or Season 9 Fan Fiction [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 09, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angel Tablet, Angels, Angels are Dicks, Being a Prophet Sucks, Big Secrets, Bunker Fic, Cambion, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Destiel - Freeform, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gen, Heaven, Heaven's Trials, Hell, M/M, Mild Language, New Sheriff in Town, Personal Trials, Purgatory, Purgatory Fic, Sinkholes and Earthquakes, Slash, The Big One, The Three Fates, Transformation by Fire, bad timing, fall from grace, on the road
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-25
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-12-23 06:49:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winchesters are drawn into another case when they try to complete the trials to open heaven to the creation of new angels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crimson Skies

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers** : All episodes through 08x20 Pac-Man Fever.

**Elk Creek, Nebraska**. Kailah leaped over a tree fallen across the dirt tail. Her legs ached with exhaustion, but she continued running desperately. 

"Kailah!" Amier cried from behind her. He ran between the trees, keeping away from the dirt pathway. "Get off the path! The thing, it's on the path!"

She banked quickly to join her friend, but her feet slipped out from under her. She crashed into a tree and ricocheted onto the ground. Pain emanated through her entire body, and panic followed immediately behind. 

The sound of heavy footsteps made her flail, but it was too late. Claws raked across her arm and shoulder, but the pain didn't register. Her eyes locked onto the bipedal monstrosity attacking her. Its face had human features and a horrific smile, but its body appeared awkward standing upright, like a bear on its hind legs. 

Kailah threw a hammer fish at the creature, slamming down on its arm. Nothing happened, except her hand ached from attempted to smash into the rock-hard scales on the monster's body. 

Amier's body abruptly crashed into the beast, which howled in contempt and tossed him on the ground next to Kailah. It pinned them down with is hind feet and –

The thing disappeared. Amier checked himself and found bruises, cuts, and a long, deep gash. Kailah bled freely. 

"Did that just happen?" he asked her. She went into shock.

"Help!" Amier cried. "Anyone! Help!"

 

 **Elsewhere in Elk Creek, Nebraska**. Jesse Turner woke violently; the last image in his mind was the expression of horror on Kailah Ryder's face. His hands slipped over his emergency phone because sweat coated his entire body. 

"Nine one one, what's your emergency?"

"Hello, I was on the phone with a friend. He's out in the woods, and he and someone else were just attacked."

"Attacked?"

"By a large animal, or something, I could hear it."

"Your friend's name?"

"Amier Beckwith."

"Where is he?"

"He's out in the woods past the highway, and I think both of them are hurt real bad, please hurry."

"What's your name?"

Jesse hung up. He looked at his hands. There was no blood. He assured himself that it had been a dream, a nightmare. It wasn't him.

 

 **Kansas City, Kansas**. Kevin heard him pacing outside the stall. He could tell, somehow, that he was another angel. They'd followed Joshua to earth, somehow caught Kevin's trail, and now he was stuck hiding in a stall of the Men's Room in the Kansas City bus station.

Minutes passed like hours. What was the angel waiting for?

The sound of wings. Another angel? 

"Castiel," the first angel said. 

"Daniel," replied Castiel. 

Blades crashed together. Kevin took that as his cue, and he popped out of the stall just as Daniel threw Castiel to the floor and brought his heel down over his chest.

"Hey!" Kevin yelled. 

Cas utilized the distraction to grab the other angel's leg and throw him into the mirror. Two heartbeats later, Cas teleported first to Kevin, then to the Impala, which remained parked outside the Bunker. 

"Thanks," Kevin said.

"What were you doing in a bus station?" 

"I, uh, summoned Joshua and he zapped me there – "

"Joshua? Excellent idea."

"Where's Dean?"

"When you called, he'd already summoned Atropos and Nona – "

"You left Dean alone with two angry Fates?" Kevin asked.

"You have the Bunker key?"

"Yeah, why – "

Kevin stopped when Cas vanished.

 

 **Purgatory**. Sam hesitated several feet below the portal that would land him topside. The last time he'd been here, monsters rallied for an attack; when Dean left, he fought off Leviathan. Yet now, as he stood on the high mountain, he couldn't hear a single growl or screech. 

He scanned the expanse beyond him. Dozens of monsters, maybe hundreds, stared up at him about a hundred feet away, as if an electric fence circled the mountain. None of them came any closer. They just watched, like some kind of perverted vigil.

Sam threw himself into the portal. His body vibrated as blackness overcame him, and he dropped into the middle of the Hundred-Mile Wilderness in Maine. 

He wasted no time. With his knife, he cut open his right arm, releasing the phoenix's soul first. The soul blazed white and ascended, climbing steeply upwards toward Heaven. He did the same to his left arm, this time releasing Madison's soul, which blazed red-orange before him.

"Go on, follow that phoenix," Sam said to her as his last goodbye.

Her soul climbed into the sky, but before it passed the tree line, it stopped. 

"Madison?" Sam asked.

"You can't be serious," Kane spoke.

"I promised you I wouldn't resurrect anyone, and I'm not!"

"Yes, but this is a werewolf, and her soul belongs in Purgatory. You were foolish to believe you could just pull her out and no one would come for her."

"But – "

The reaper didn't listen. He reached up his hand, and Madison's soul descended to them. Sam's stomach churned as he realized this was the third time he'd failed her.


	2. Mountains of the Sky

**No Man's Land, South Dakota**. Cas teleported back to Dean, cloaked with invisibly. Kevin's concern was well founded, as the hunter was lying on the ground, unconscious and bound. Atropos and Nona seemed oddly delighted at the hunter's condition.

The angel noiselessly positioned himself in Dean's direct line of sight. He needed to teleport to him and then immediately away without a hitch to escape to safety. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing why, until - 

"Nona, Atropos," Lachesis said. "My two favorite sisters."

The first two Fates kept a solid distance between themselves and Lachesis. They didn't trust their middle sister any longer. 

"Lachesis," Nona replied. "How have you been?"

"In hiding for months, thanks for asking sis," she replied. "What do you two want?"

"Us? How about our lives back?" Atropos replied. "You abandoned us and left us with your mess."

"My mess? Neither of you need this job," Lachesis explained. "I hoped you'd follow in my footsteps – "

"Follow your footsteps?" Nona repeated. "I've looked up to you my entire life, but even I would never do what you'd done."

"That's why you've summoned me here? To tell me what a bad sister I've been?"

Atropos spoke, "No. We've got a present for you." She indicated Dean's unconscious body.

"Dean Winchester?" Lachesis asked. 

"We can use him to get his younger brother and his little angel here. One for each of us," Nona said. 

Cas saw the plan to restore Lachesis to Heaven's service quickly falling apart. She was no more interested in returning to her old job than she had been months ago when Crowley died. 

So, the angel waited. All he needed was an ample distraction to make his move.

 

 **Hundred-Mile Wilderness, Maine**. Sam stood, helpless, as Kane collected Madison's soul. At the very least, he would remain with her until the reaper took her away.

Both spun around at the sound of wings. Kane disappeared immediately. Whatever Sam looked at, it burned so brightly that he found himself knocked on his ass. He scrambled to remove his holy-fire x-ray specs.

"Sam Winchester," a familiar voice said. "What are you doing here?"

Sam saw Naomi before him. Apparently the special specs revealed angelic existence in a vessel. He made a mental note never to wear them with Castiel around.

"Hi, Naomi."

She indicated the soul that Kane abandoned. "This is?"

"Madison, she – she was a werewolf."

"A werewolf?"

"And a good person."

Naomi's eyes filled with curiosity and pity. She replied, "I see."

"Dean and I tried to cure her, but we failed."

"You killed her?" Naomi asked.

"Madison asked me to. When she realized she couldn't be cured, she asked to be killed so she'd never hurt anyone again."

"That's why you've freed her soul from Purgatory?"

"She doesn't belong there!"

"That's not for you to decide."

"Madison didn't have free will! It wasn't her choice, and when it was her choice, she chose to die over risking other people's safety. She didn't choose to be a werewolf, Naomi, some asshat bit her on her way home from a friend's house," Sam spoke as calmly as he could, slowly loosing traction as he concluded the story.

"It's not everyday you liberate souls, Sam," Naomi said. "And today, you've liberated two. Why?"

"I only meant to take the first one, Elias Finch. He was a phoenix. His ashes helped us send Eve back to Purgatory," Sam explained. "He didn't deserve to be stuck there for that. He's innocent. Madison, she guided me to him so I could leave quickly."

Naomi considered what he said for a moment. She waved her hand, and the glistening star that was Madison's soul traversed the space above her into Heaven.

"Do you plan on doing this on a regular basis from now on?" Naomi asked.

"No, not really. Thank you for."

"Don't," Naomi replied. "Maybe you're not lying to me about who these souls are, but I can tell. There's something you're not telling me."

"You mean like where Castiel is right now?" Sam asked quickly. 

"No, it's something else. Whatever it is Sam, consider it carefully. I've said it before, and I mean it, we're on the same side."

She disappeared. 

Sam waited a few moments before he started his journey in the general direction of the road. He thought a silent prayer to Castiel, filling the angel in on Naomi's visit. 

His musings screeched to a halt as an invisible force yanked him into silky darkness.

 

Atropos, Nona, and Lachesis circled together, bickering bitterly about the failed Apocalypse. As soon as Dean came-to, Cas seized the moment and teleported - 

Sam's voice lingered in the angel's consciousness. _Cas, Naomi dropped in on me in Maine. Don't come get me. Keep your head down, okay? And watch out for my big brother, man. You hear me?_

Normally prayers didn't penetrate so directly into his consciousness, but the level of intent, the degree of Sam's prayer, grabbed his attention. 

Cas made it to Dean, but before they could escape, Lachesis brought her arm down and across the angel's face, throwing him into the air. Nona and Atropos closed in around him, and they trussed the angel just like his hunter. 

"A matching set," Nona concluded. "How long do you think it'll take your brother to get here?"

"We haven't met," Dean said to Lachesis, ignoring the question entirely. "I'm – "

"I know who you are." 

"You don't know her because she's been, uh, 'on leave,'" Nona said casually.

"Ever so passive aggressive," Lachesis replied.

"A year! We did your job for a year, and you can't take a little comment?" Atropos asked. "You always have been an over-privileged brat."

"I see your high-horse is still in tact."

"Are you really that incapable of saying you're sorry?" Atropos asked. "Of apologizing and admitting you were wrong?"

Lachesis scowled at her elder sister. "What am I apologizing for exactly? Wanting my own life? My own job? Having an identity separate from my sisters? Believe it or not, being second fiddle was never my dream."

Nona's laugh boomed throughout the badlands. She spoke directly to Lachesis, "Did it ever occur to you that we want all those things too? Just because we want something doesn't mean we break every commitment we've ever made – "

"You know what? No, it never occurred to me," Lachesis cut her sister off. "Because both of you are so ridiculously desperate for the approval of others that the idea of either of you forming an independent thought seems impossible!"

Dean laughed. 

"This is funny to you?" Atropos rounded on Dean.

"No, it's not, it's just - this reminds me of an argument Sam and I had," Dean said. 

Lachesis answered with a solid kick to his stomach. Dean felt a few of his ribs crack. 

"Sammy said that approval thing to me, and the abandoning thing I said to him – "

Crack! Lachesis threw another kick and spat, "We're nothing like you."

"You're siblings," he replied. "Which means under all the crap, the real reason you're mad is because you're family. You still care."

Lachesis raised her foot - 

"You're saying you don't care?" Nona asked. Lachesis turned back to her sisters, sparing Dean a third kick.

 

 **Elk Creek, Nebraska**. Sam opened his eyes. He was inside an old farmhouse. 

"Sam?" a teenage boy said.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jesse, you might not remember me, I was like ten when we met," the boy replied.

"Uh, we met? Where am I?"

"Nebraska. I summoned you because I need your help."

"Wait, what? Humans can't be summoned."

"I didn't know what else to do," Jesse said weakly. "You and your brother managed to help me before, so – "

Sam remembered. "Jesse Turner? The Cambion? I mean, half-demon, half-human?" 

"Yeah, I guess."

Jesse was now fifteen and almost six feet tall. 

"You've grown," Sam commented. 

"Yeah, that might be part of the problem."

"Okay, let's go back like twenty steps. What problem?"

"You'll help me?"

"If I can, I will."

 

Dean struggled to an awkward sitting position next to Cas. The angel seemed particularly miserable, and Dean wondered if Lachesis had poisoned him.

Atropos yelled, "We've been covering for you this entire time, stupidly thinking you'd care enough to – "

"To what? Tuck tail and crawl back to my domineering sisters? To beg for forgiveness for wanting a little freedom?" Lachesis bellowed back. 

"Freedom isn't signing up with Crowley!" Nona shot back "You could've taken a vacation, gone on strike. Instead you bring shame on – "

"Shame?" Lachesis cut her off. "Don't even start with – "

"There is a right and a wrong," Atropos interrupted. "You're telling me that you thought working with Crowley was right?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then what are we even fighting about?"

Silence greeted these words.

 

 **Men of Letters Bunker**. Kevin checked the coordinates Joshua gave him. No matter how he sliced it, it was at least a twelve-hour drive. There was no way he'd get there by himself. He'd needed to wait.

His phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Kevin, hi, it's Sam."

"Sam, how did your – "

"Done," Sam replied curtly. "Dean and Cas?"

"Castiel is with your brother right now, not sure how far along they are."

Sam moved on, "Have you gotten a chance to – "

"Speak with God?" Kevin completed. "No, not yet."

"Good. You think you can give God a message for me?"

"Uh, what?"

Sam hesitated. "Something's come up – "

"What could possibly be – "

"Kev, this is important," Sam interrupted. "Trust me."

"Uh, okay. What's the message?" Kevin asked.

 

 **Heaven**. Archangel Batkol and Archangel Emunah gained new names, or special titles, for their work with humanity. Batkol, originally Ruth, earned her Hebrew name as the Divine Voice of God on Earth. Emunah, initially Lucas, received his Hebrew name as the teacher of Fidelity and Faithfulness. 

Archangels came in two primary forms. The first, and best-known, was those angels formed specifically for leadership, such as Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer. The other form was that of an angel elevated to archangel for an appointed station, such as Gabriel, Ruth, and Lucas. The two kinds of archangel were not, strictly speaking, separated so simply. For instance, Gabriel had been formed for leadership and later won an additional station as the Angel of Annunciation. 

Ruach knew these stories because she had been there. She was the first living entity to walk the surface of the newly created Earth. God sent her to ensure the crust of the Earth was cool enough for living organisms to touch and strong enough to support the weight of life. 

To this very day, she remained the only angel to have a vessel created by God solely for her to traverse the Earth. Her skin and eyes were a deep, dark brown, but the rest of her features remained mutable, constantly changing with the advent of humanity. Yet every angel who ever met her recognized her immediately.

After her first mission on Earth, she returned to Heaven and mentioned that the air felt stiff; thus, God made the wind blow. She went to Earth as Sarah-Rebecca, but upon her return, she became Ruach the Archangel. 

Before humans and their languages existed, no one understood the nature of her name. God said she would come to comprehend it in time, and now she knew. The word was Hebrew, and among its complex and intricate meanings, it referenced the Spirit of life with the underpinning of moving air, as Breath and Wind. Ruach the Archangel was the Angel of Spirit, of Breath, and of Wind. 

Batkol and Emunah were similarly meaningful and multifaceted, but after all the history, all the neglect, Ruach wondered if any of them deserved those names, those gifts, that told everyone who they were. 

Sarah-Rebecca came suddenly to this realization when she met with her brother and sister. 

"Ruach," Lucas said as he bowed his head.

"Lucas," Sarah-Rebecca greeted him. She contineud, "It is time we dropped the titles we no longer deserve."

"What do you mean?" Ruth asked.

"Sister, we cannot continue as if nothing has happened, as if we are as we once were," Sarah-Rebecca replied. "My captivity has given me insight into the nature of humanity, into the workings of the Earth, even into the minds of abominations."

Ruth spoke with trepidation, "Raphael left his post to fill the void Michael created. In so doing, he abandoned the prophet, and his death created even more chaos. Had he kept his post, Kevin Tran would never had fallen prey – "

Ruth fell silent as she saw Sarah-Rebecca's reaction. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and even Gabriel all had superior power to the other archangels. They were the oldest, the first-born, the first sons. The other archangels either earned greater power through service, like Metatron, or were appointed very special, very specific duties. No one knew, or maybe no one remembered, where Sarah-Rebecca fell among the archangels. Was she the first daughter? The fifth angel formed? Or was she among those appointed?

"We follow the example of Joshua," Lucas explained. "After the Apocalypse, we remained constant in our posts, even as others abandoned their own to seek more power."

"I understand," Sarah-Rebecca said, "and I am not here to judge that choice. But we cannot keep names that are no longer ours. When was the last time you spoke to humans for God, Ruth? And Lucas, when did you last teach Fidelity and Faithfulness?"

Both archangels considered these questions and seemed heavy with thought. 

"What shall we do?" Ruth asked.

"Go back to being Ruth and Lucas, start again, as I will start again as Sarah-Rebecca. Maybe one day we will earn those names again."

"The others know you, they respect you," Lucas said. "You weren't here during the civil war or the apocalypse."

Ruth said, "Most angels are afraid they will be killed for their chosen loyalties during the civil war, or their failures during previous service. That fear alone drives the survival almost all the factions."

Clearly they had practiced this, because Lucas followed seamlessly, "You are considered neutral, unbiased. Your mind is clear from the millennia of squabbles that have broken us apart."

Ruth concluded, "We need a leader who can reunite Heaven. If you will do this, giving up our names will simply be a sign of our loyalty to your leadership."

"I was meant to be Raphael's second in command," Sarah-Rebecca answered. "To help protect the prophet. I see now that we no longer do that."

Lucas and Ruth exchanged ashamed looks. "That was only at the request of Kevin Tran. We will continue to protect the next prophet."

Sarah-Rebecca measured their words. They were sincere, but she sensed that much of their concern was to protect those they allied themselves with. 

"I will try to reunite Heaven," she said. "But not as the others have done before me. I'm not made of the same stuff, you cannot expect me to work in the same ways."

When neither Ruth nor Lucas fretted over that notion, Sarah-Rebecca pushed ahead. She spoke directly to Ruth, "I need you to speak with Naomi. She only begrudgingly answers my questions, and she won't follow my orders. If she continues on this path, she will become lost."

"Naomi would never – " Ruth started. 

"You love her," Sarah-Rebecca talked over her. "And she loves you. She will listen to you if anyone. Go now."

Ruth nodded and left.

"Lucas, tell me everything about the prophet, the Winchesters, and Castiel."


	3. Rainbow's End

Jesse paced the length of his bedroom as Sam talked on the phone.

"Okay, message sent," Sam said as he hung up. 

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how long it'll be in-transit," Sam replied. "So, let's get started now, okay? Fill me in."

Jesse seemed uncomfortable. "I don't even know where to start."

"How about, the last time we met, start there," Sam suggested.

"The last time we met..." Jesse thought for a minute. "People got hurt because I made imaginary things real. People died," Jesse stated.

"You didn't know."

"Not then. But now, now I do," Jesse stopped pacing. "After you left, for a week or two, demons came to my parent's old house looking for me. I killed them. I had to, I was just trying to keep my parents safe."

"They were demons," Sam reassured him. "You had to kill them to stop them."

"About five or six months after you left, it was like everything disappeared."

"You mean, your powers?"

"When I made things come to life, all that stuff, it was like something tapped into my fear and used that as a faucet. It was draining, only I didn't know that, not until it stopped," Jesse looked confused. "Did that make sense?"

Sam said, "Yeah, it does. Six months after met you would be around when we trapped Lucifer in the cage. Cas said when he walked the Earth, it made your powers grow like a weed."

"Cas?"

"He's a friend who works with us," Sam dismissed. "You'll meet him soon. Anyway, once Dean and I tossed Lucifer back into the hole and locked the door, your powers must've returned to normal."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad," Jesse said. "But a few months ago, it started up again."

"Was that around when you hit puberty?"

Jesse looked skeptically at Sam. "You think I grew like three feet in two weeks?"

"Okay, then, what about when you hit puberty?"

"What about it?"

"Did you notice anything changes?" Sam asked. "With your powers?"

"A little, but not like this."

"I thought maybe it's like a magical growth spurt," Sam explained. "That would explain – " 

"Whatever it is, it needs to stop. People are getting hurt, and I can't let anyone die because of me. Not again."

"Okay, okay, just tell me – "

"My dreams, or nightmares, have been coming to life," Jesse said quickly. "Nearly killed two people last night. And there's nothing I can do. I tried to wake myself up – "

"Jesse, it's okay, we'll figure it out."

"It's not okay!"

"You're right it's not," Sam said, realizing he was dealing with a teenager. "I just meant, there are things we can do right now to prevent further incidents."

The teenager bit his lip furiously. "That's not enough. Sam, when I asked you to ask God, or whatever, about how to get rid of my powers, that wasn't a metaphor or hyperbole, that's what I actually want."

"You want to get rid of all your powers?" Sam asked.

"These powers? They've done nothing but destroy my life! My parents thought I ran away for those six months, the state tried to take me away from them – "

"Okay, okay," Sam cut him off. "Look, I said I'd help you, and I meant it. Now I know what's going on, and I promise you, we will figure it out."

Jesse slouched. "Right."

 

Castiel concentrated as hard as he could on cutting through the binding rope. Lachesis's magic remained strong despite her betrayal, and he wondered if she learned a thing or two from Crowley. With his powers ensnared by the rope, he had to slice through it slowly with a small knife as the Fates quarreled ceaselessly. 

"You walk away now," Atropos said with finality, "don't even think about coming back."

"You won't be our sister anymore," Nona added.

Lachesis had turned her back on them both. The angel noticed the change in tone and cut more furiously. Dean picked up that cue as indication that Cas needed more time, so he rolled away from the angel to execute his diversion.

"Maybe I never was to begin with," Lachesis rasped. 

"Come on, even I know that's a load of crap," Dean spat. 

"Shut up," Nona said, and Dean's tongue became tied. 

"I know cuz I said dat tah Sammy – " Dean tried to say.

Lachesies waved her hand to counteract Nona's curse. 

"I said it because he'd been drinking blood, slutting around with some demon, going behind my back because he thought I wasn't strong enough," he continued. "So I confronted him, and when he went to walk away, I said the same thing. If he walked away, he should never come back, he wasn't my brother anymore, if he ever was – "

"Get to your point," Atropos demanded. 

"I said it because," Dean hesitated. He'd never admitted this to anyone out loud before. "Because I needed him to pick me. The ultimatum wasn't for him. It was about me. I couldn't understand the choices he'd made, and I was looking for anything, anything at all that would reassure me he was the same Sam I grew up with."

"But he left," Nona said. "He left you bloody on the floor."

"That's why I know. We got to that room, that fight, because I didn't understand him. I hadn't tried to because, to me, everything was so clear. I didn't even try to get it, you know? Told myself it was because I couldn't imagine what he did, what he felt, what he was thinking. And that was a first for me, not knowing my little brother at all. But after all that, I realized, he didn't leave me because he wasn't my family. He left because he thought it was the only way to save a lot of lives. He was wrong. Really, really fucking wrong, but he didn't know that. That's the man my brother grew up to be. He let me think he was a monster so he could save the world. And for that, I'm proud of him. Even if I wouldn't admit it for a long time."

Nona shook her head. "Moving speech, kid, but your brother didn't know killing Lilith was his destiny to start the Apocalypse. He thought it would prevent it. There's a world of difference between that and what she did."

"She was under no illusion," Atropos agreed.

"So sure of yourselves as always," Lachesis shot back. 

"You're trying to say that you left us by accident? You thought you were doing bad things with good intent?" Nona taunted. 

Lachesis grabbed at her younger sister, and soon all three were fighting in close quarters. 

Castiel freed himself. He moved to Dean and healed him out in the open. The hunter saw clarity in the angel's eyes, in spite of the risk he just took, calling Heavenly attention to them, so Dean held his peace and waited. 

As soon as he heard wings, Cas teleported Dean away, leaving three Fates in the presence of two angels.

 

"What the hell, Cas! We weren't finished!" Dean barked. 

Cas and Dean were in the Impala, which was parked outside the bunker. The angel cut away the ropes, and once free of them, Dean took the time to stretch.

They both got out of the car and waved at the cameras, so Kevin opened the door.

"They're on their way," Cas dismissed. "And I imagine as soon as they, how do you say it? Patch things up, they'd've killed us both."

"What? Why?"

"Because they can," Cas replied simply. 

"Guys, so good news and medium news," Kevin said.

"Okay," Dean said. "Let's hear it all."

Kevin told them about Sam's phone call. "He didn't elaborate, but you gotta drop me off here," Kevin said, pointing out the map of Joshua's coordinates. 

"Okay, but there're too many angels. We gotta drive," Dean said. He flipped open his phone and dialed his brother.

"Dean, you're okay?" Sam answered the phone.

"Well, the Supremes aren't completely back together," Dean said sarcastically, "But I survived the reunion tour. So here's hoping that's enough. How'dyou do?"

"Actually, really well," Sam sounded genuinely surprised.

"Then where the hell are you?"

"Nebraska."

"Why are you – "

"You should get out here as soon as you can," Sam interrupted. "We've got a case."

"A case that – "

"It can't wait, Dean."

"Awesome," Dean muttered. "Okay, we need to drop Kev off first, and that's at least eight hours in the opposite direction. Can you hold down the fort for a day?"

"I guess, but can't Cas zap you here?"

"Too many freaking angels!" Dean repeated. "We're driving!" He hung up, and he saw Castiel's and Kevin's puzzled expressions.

"What?" he snapped.

"You need to chill out," Kevin replied. He walked out of the room and said, "Let me grab my bag!"

"He's excited," Cas observed.

"Excited?" Dean repeated. "The kid should be making out with some hot chick at a frat party, not – "

"Dean," Cas interrupted. "He could do that. But he doesn't want to. He wants to do this instead."

"Ridiculous," Dean muttered.

Kevin returned with his bag in hand. "We ready?"

 

The two angels that responded to Castiel's powers were named Simeon and Leah. Under normal circumstances, they'd've followed straight after him, but seeing all three Fates on the Earth was far from normal. 

"Atropos?" Simeon asked. "What are you doing here?"

The scuffle between the sisters dissipated.

"We were summoned," Nona answered.

"To what end?" Leah asked.

"They were summoned to meet with me – " Lachesis began. 

Atropos interrupted. "It doesn't matter, the man who summoned us is gone."

Simeon said, "Castiel was just here."

"We want to know why," Leah continued.

Atropos replied, "Lachesis has been missing."

"Lost," Nona offered.

"Yes, lost," Atropos said. "Castiel's pet helped us find her again."

"His pet?" Simeon asked Leah.

Nona spoke up, "Dean Winchester."

Simeon acknowledged the name, but Leah pushed ahead with the task at hand.

"Lost?" Leah asked. "As in gone astray?"

"How dare you – " Nona began.

"She's right to ask," Lachesis interrupted. "I was – "

"Abducted," Atropos interrupted. "By Crowley."

"Crowley has been dead for months," Simeon stated. "Why is she just now resurfacing?"

"You don't kidnap a Fate and let her roam free," Nona retorted. "Crowley had her trapped, locked up, hid her from us. We couldn't find her – "

"But a human could?" Leah asked incredulously. 

Lachesis stopped her sisters with a wave of her hand. "They are not being honest with you. They are trying to protect me from my own choices."

Leah and Simeon considered the three sisters.

"What would you have us report?" Simeon asked. 

Lachesis turned to her sisters. "Go, let me handle this."

Atropos and Nona protested simultaneously, "No!" 

"You're both right," Lachesis said. "You are my sisters, and my first responsibility is to you. I abandoned you. I don't deserve your forgiveness. Not yet. Let me start to remedy what I have done."

Her sisters vanished, leaving Lachesis alone with Leah and Simeon. 

"I will ask again," Simeon began. "What will you have us report?"

"Everything, if you'll hear it."

 

Sam paged through the scrapbook of articles Jesse made for him. Some were odd accidents. Others were assumed to be animal attacks. Six major injuries in the last two weeks. 

When Jesse came back from the bathroom, Sam said, "We need to start damage control." 

"Promise me something," Jesse asked quietly. 

"Sure, what?"

"If we do all this, try everything and it doesn't work... Would you – kill me?" he asked.

"Don't talk like that – "

"I'm half-demon, Sam," Jesse interrupted. "If I gotta shot at getting into Heaven, I've got to – "

"Woah, woah, slow down," Sam said. "Let's cross this bridge when we come to it." 

Sam remembered making these same promises to the werewolf he just pulled out of Purgatory. He failed Madison; did he really believe he would help Jesse?

"You might be half-demon, but you're also half-human," Sam reminded him. "And you're a good kid. A good person. Okay? And, if you do end up in Hell or limbo or where ever, I'll make sure you're not stuck there."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Jesse said, the angst bubbling up.

"Look at me, Jesse," Sam said. 

When Jesse met his eyes, the younger Winchester remembered every agonizing moment in Hell seeking Bobby. He recalled the dangers of Purgatory, the portal, the shift between planes, the reapers, the souls, everything. It was like for an instant, he relived all those moments concurrently. 

"I've pulled a soul out of Hell. Me. Flesh-and-blood human. Two more out of Purgatory. One of them, she was in a similar situation. Sort of. And I couldn't save her life, but I didn't leave her to rot either. Please, believe me when I say I will not let you suffer, stuck somewhere you don't belong," Sam promised. The sincerity in his voice sank into the teenager's brain. 

Jesse nodded.

"And getting rid of your powers, chances are, will take time. It's not like it'll be 'Drink this!' and suddenly your demon half is gone."

"But – "

"Let me finish," Sam replied. "What we need to do is find ways to contain your power. Most of this stuff happened when you were asleep, so the place to start is magic-proofing your room."

"What?"

"Hex bags, iron shielding, that kind of thing."

"And if that doesn't work? Two people almost died – "

"I'll be here," Sam said. "Castiel can monitor your dreams, wake you if up if the dream is projecting or whatever."

"Castiel?" Jesse repeated. 

"Castiel, Cas. You've met. He's an angel," said Sam. 

"Why would an angel help me?"

"Because he's my friend," Sam replied. He changed tactics. "If it helps, Jesse, I know what it's like. I had demon blood in me since I was a baby. There was a time all I wanted to do was die for the mistakes I've made."

"Then – "

"But those mistakes, they were my choices," Sam continued. "You didn't choose – "

Jesse stared at the ground. "I have."

"You have what?"

"Used my powers. By choice," Jesse said. The guilt in his voice made the picture clear to Sam.

"Okay, when?"

"I, uh, sometimes when I'm angry – things happen," Jesse admitted. "Broken legs. Nose. Fingers mostly."

"You said it happens when – "

"I'm pissed off," Jesse said. "I tried controlling my feelings if that's what you're going to suggest. And that failed."

"Okay, well, we can work on that too – "

"How?" 

"Hex bags," Sam answered. "There're a few that can buy you some time to get your cool. You'd just have to pocket them."

"We're using magic to stop magic? Seems counterintuitive."

"Until we know one way or another, it's our best bet."

His phone rang. "It's Cas, I need to take this."

 

Dean sat behind the wheel. Kevin rode shotgun because Cas took up the entire back seat with books and notes. He tried to hold the phone to his ear with his shoulder, but it kept sliding.

"Yes, that's what I just said," Cas continued. "There is a theory about a cure for demons, but it's only succeeded once. And the cure is for full demons, not half-demons – "

"Does it get rid of their powers?"

"The book makes no mention of that," Cas replied. "And the ritual requires human blood and an exorcism. I don't think we can use this on Jesse. He's already human."

"How far out are you guys?"

"Dean said it'll be three more hours before we can drop off Kevin," the angel replied. "We'll drive through the night and be there around noon tomorrow." 

"Okay, did you look up the other stuff I asked about?" Sam asked.

"I did."

"And?"

Dean smiled when he saw Cas roll his eyes. 

"And," Cas said, "I would've mentioned anything that would help!"

"Okay, geeze, just asking, talk to you later," Sam replied as he hung up.

 

Sarah-Rebecca entered Naomi's office, where she and two other angels waited for her.

"Ruach – "

"Sarah-Rebecca," she corrected Naomi.

Naomi said, "Sarah-Rebecca, this is Simeon and Leah. They have an important report. And so do I."

"About what?"

"Joshua was summoned to Earth by the prophet," Naomi said. "And on the same day, Dean Winchester summoned the three Fates, Sam Winchester freed two souls from Purgatory – "

"Yes you've said," Sarah-Rebecca said. "What is this about the Fates?"

Simeon and Leah told her everything. The archangel asked, "Why did you go to Earth?"

Simeon replied, "Castiel used his power, and we went to capture him."

"Simeon, Leah, thank you, you're dismissed," Sarah-Rebecca said to them. As soon as they left, she turned to Naomi. "What are you doing?"

"My job."

"I told you to stand down. I told you to order the others to stand down as well, so why did two angels go to Earth?"

"I – " Naomi began. "Something is going on, ma'am, and I can't just sit by – "

"I know exactly what is happening. Your orders are to stand down, and to pass that command to your subordinates. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but – "

"Do you explain everything to your subordinates? Confide every secret you know in them?" When Naomi shook her head, the archangel continued, "Neither do I. I know, and I am telling you, there is no reason for concern. You don't need to know anymore. Follow my orders and stand down."

"Yes, ma'am," Naomi said. She bowed her head and kept it down until Sarah-Rebecca left her office.

 

Dean parked the Impala at the base of a mountainous upheaval in the middle of nowhere. 

"Seriously, this is it?" Dean asked. 

"These are the coordinates Joshua gave me."

"God wants you to go up there?" Dean asked. "Through slippery mountain territory? Slip, fall, break every bone in your body - "

Kevin interjected, "Thanks for the ride, Mom!"

"Shut up," Dean said. "We'll wait here till you've made it into the cave or top or whatever."

"No, go ahead, I can always call Cas for help," Kevin said as he got out of the car. 

The angel followed him.

"I'm okay," Kevin said to him. 

"I wanted to ride in the front seat," Cas replied. "And, in case you didn't know, when you arrive at the right spot, you need only wait and listen."

"Thanks, for everything," the prophet said as he started his climb.


	4. Cloud of Amber

Kevin Tran stepped into a dark cave at the top of the mountain. The climb was steep, yet he felt like it took him no time at all to get there. 

In the center of the cavernous darkness, a beautiful marble fountain radiated light. All he had to do was wait and listen, that's what Castiel had said.

First Kevin kneeled, but the pressure of the uneven surface on his knees made him switch immediately to sitting. He closed his eyes, turned off his brain, and listened. 

He tried to listen, anyway.

Ideas and thoughts kept bubbling up, breaking the surface of his mind. Most of it was from Sam's hunter's journal. Jesse's message to God. Dean's hell tour. Sam's past. Azazel's mission and plan. The big show down between Michael/Adam and Lucifer/Sam. The image of them falling into the pit together – 

He opened his eyes. He'd dreamed about that moment years and years ago, but he never recognized Sam in the dream before this very moment. That dream recurred all the time, and Kevin never once thought it meant anything. But now he knew the story, and the images and the words connected. He couldn't ignore it anymore. 

He took a deep breath and adjusted. He closed his eyes, turned off his brain, and listened. Every time something pulled him off track, he'd repeat these actions. Over and over again.

 

Jesse sat up in his bed, awake. He couldn't sleep. He wouldn't let himself sleep.

"It's okay, Jesse, I'm right here," Sam said. "Sleep."

"I – I'm losing myself," Jesse said. "That's what my dad calls it. He said his old buddies from the service, a lot of them lost themselves in combat. They came home in pieces and couldn't go back together again."

"Some of them, but not – "

"That's how I feel," Jesse said, with a self-awareness not usually afforded to a fifteen-year-old. "Everyday it's a little harder."

"What is?"

"Doing the right thing, holding back, doing what's asked of me. It's like there's this whisper in my ear that I can make people do anything, why I am I pretending I can't? And each day it's harder to tell myself it's the right thing to do, you know?"

"Yeah, I remember what that's like," Sam said. "But I didn't have powers like yours."

"You're telling me this is normal?"

"For a teenager? Yeah, actually, it is. For you it's harder because, well – "

"If I snap I go dark side and there's no coming back."

"Jesse – "

"It's okay. I just needed to tell you that."

He curled up in his bed and went to sleep.

 

Kevin's eyes snapped open, literally and figuratively. A rush of understanding swept him up and tumbled down around him, making him feel complete. Whole. Solid. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the cave, but he knew he wasn't ready to leave it quite yet. 

He prayed to Castiel. _I need some time to myself, but I'm okay. I will call you when I'm ready to leave. Please tell Jesse that I have a message for him._

Kevin adjusted himself, straightening his clothing. He required time to gather his thoughts.

 

 **Heaven**. Naomi seethed as she paced. She tried to calm herself down and failed. Ruth reached out and stopped her.

"We can take some time," Ruth said. "Time together, away."

"I – I would like that," Naomi replied blankly. She knew Ruth merely wanted to comfort her over the loss of her position. The time away was just a distraction, a consolation prize. 

"Naomi," Ruth pleaded. "Please."

"I would," Naomi said genuinely. "I would like that."

"Thank you," Ruth said, touching Naomi's face. "Thank you."

 

"Dean, wake up," Cas pestered. "We're here." He navigated the car to a shady spot outside the farmhouse. 

"Five more minutes," Dean chimed.

"Dean!"

"Fine."

Sam pulled the door open and yanked Dean out of the back seat and into a hug.

"Dude, what?" Dean asked.

"You got beat on by Fate," Sam said. 

"You went to Purgatory, am I getting all touchy-feely with you?" 

"Right."

Castiel joined them. "Kevin has a message for Jesse."

"He does?" Dean asked.

"You were asleep." 

"Great, what is it?"

"I don't know." 

He brushed passed Sam to the house, ignoring the Winchesters's matching expressions of confusion. 

"Cas!" Sam said, following after him. 

Jesse woke up to find Castiel, Dean, and Sam in his bedroom. 

"Uh, hello?" he said lamely. 

"I have a message for you from the prophet," Cas said casually. He leaned in and touched Jesse's forehead. The boy collapsed back into his bed.

"Cas, what the hell?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"What what? Look at him," Sam said. 

Cas rolled his eyes again. "It's a message from God. Did you expect it to be easy?" 

"You've rolled your eyes twice now, you know that?" Dean asked.

"Is that substantial?"

"It's like your more human every day," Dean continued. "Are you sure – "

"I express more emotion every day because I spent almost all my time around you. I am not cut off from Heaven and I am not turning into a human," Cas said, the irritation rising in his voice.

"Okay, just asking."

Dean didn't like pissy Castiel one bit.

 

Jesse remained unconscious for hours. They waited.

"He's just a kid," Sam said.

"No, he's not," Cas replied. 

"How can you say that?"

"It happens to be true. Like Kevin, Jesse is not normal. This right now, this is his choice. If you two would stop," Cas paused trying to find the right word, "Bellyaching over this, you'd see that this is what you're fighting for."

"You mean kids being torn apart for no reason?" Dean asked.

"No, for both of them to have the ability to decide, to choose," Cas replied. "Jesse's destiny was to be a powerful weapon for Lucifer, but he refused to be used. Kevin's destiny was to read the tablet for humanity, nothing more, but he's actively participating in the world. As a student, as a man doing a trial. They both outlived their prescribed times, and they both decided who they were before choosing which path to take. That's what I mean."

"What's up with you, Cas?"

He tilted his head. "You're maddening you know that? Both of you," the angel replied.

"Woah, wait – "

Jesse sat up, fully awake. 

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think I am," Jesse replied. "Sam?"

"I'm here."

"You were right."

Sam smiled. 

"But you can't help me," Jesse continued. "I need to prove my dedication to this, to getting rid of my powers."

Sam nodded. "Okay, well, we can grab a motel room in town, in case – "

"We should retrieve Kevin," Castiel interrupted. 

"We drove like sixteen hours to get here," Dean protested. "You wanna just pack it all up and leave now?"

"Jesse, do you require anything to begin your task?" Cas asked.

"No, no I don't."

"Good. You will call if circumstances change?" 

"Yes, sir," Jesse said.

"It's Cas," the angel replied. "Thank you, Jesse. I wish you luck on your journey."

Castiel left the room. It took another two hours to convince Sam and Dean to leave Jesse to his mission, but eventually they piled into the Impala. 

"You should've taken the truck," Sam said. "You can sleep in the back."

Dean's expression clued Sam in, so he asked, "What happened to my truck, Dean?"

"Nothing, it's just, uh – "

"The Fates attacked us and we teleported away."

"You just left my truck?"

"We'll go pick it up now," Dean said. "Right Cas? You can guide me back there?"

"No, but I'll drive us there."

"Fine," Dean said.

"I keep shotgun," Sam added.

 

Hours later, Dean woke up to Sam's prodding. He realized the Impala wasn't moving before he responded. 

"What?"

"You need to sit up," Sam replied.

"What?"

"Move your ass Dean!"

He sat up straight and slid behind Sam's seat. "Why are – "

The sound of wings cut him off. Kevin Tran appeared in the seat next to Dean.

"Woah – what hold on!" Dean yelled.

"Kevin called, I thought it would be best to pick him up now," Cas explained as he turned the car back on. 

"Sammy, you let him teleport with the angels flying around us all day?"

"'Let' is a strong word, Dean," Sam replied idly as Cas pulled back out onto the road.

"You okay kid?" Dean asked.

"Better than okay."

"Good."

"We've got another four hours before we reach Sam's truck," Castiel added.

 

They were an hour away from the No Man's Land where Dean parked the pickup when the earth began to shake. Earthquakes, tidal waves, hailstorms, hurricanes, all struck around the word within the same thirty-minute window. 

They didn't know how big it all was when they found themselves grounded by hail and thrown by an earthquake. They had to take cover.

"What the hell is going on?"


	5. Can't Come Down No More

"Kevin, what the hell is happening?" Dean demanded when the storm lifted.

"He did it!" Kevin said. 

"Who did what?"

"Jesse – uh, needs a guide for his purification," Kevin explained. "And the angel I asked God to raise needs a vessel powerful enough to hold him."

"This all sounds bad," Dean commented. 

"Jesse needed to prove his commitment, so God asked him to go get the vessel."

"Jesse raised someone from the dead?" Sam asked. Then he added, "How does that add up to earthquake and hailstorm?"

"It's complicated," Kevin replied.

"Don't give me that – " Dean started.

"Dean, don't you get it? Pull over!"

"What?"

"Pull over!" Kevin repeated.

Dean obliged then turned around to face Kevin. "What the hell?"

"We have to do this outside," Kevin said as he bolted through the door.

"Kevin, wait – " Sam protested. 

Castiel said, "He's right, you need to do this outside."

"What? What are we doing?" Dean barked.

"Jesse succeeded. That means the angel Kevin sought to raise is back," the angel replied. When the Winchesters stared at him blankly, he added, "You completed the trials, now all you need to do is say the spell together."

"Oh, right - " Sam said as he left the car.

"You coming?" Dean asked.

"No, I'm going to lie down in the back seat."

Thinking Castiel made a joke, Dean laughed as he popped his door open, but the angel didn't follow. "Cas?" he said. "You were serious?"

Cas stretched across the back seat. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Dean shut his door and joined Sam and Kevin.

"You face East," Kevin said to Dean. 

"Let me guess, West?" Sam asked.

"No, genius, North," Kevin replied. "We're going counter-clockwise here."

"What?"

"Never mind," Kevin replied. He handed them booth slips of paper. "We need to say this together. Okay?"

"I feel stupid," Dean replied.

"Just do it."

 

"You understand what this means," the angel said to Jesse. "You understand that this will be difficult and painful."

"I understand."

"You know you don't have to do this," the angel continued.

"I want to do this."

"Very well, say goodbye to your parents."

"What?"

"You're coming with me, and you'll need to be apart from them until you're finished."

"They won't – "

"They will, I'll make sure they understand."

"You can do that?" Jesse asked. 

"Yes."

"All right." Jesse took a moment and asked, "What's his name?"

"Who?"

"The guy I just grabbed from Hell," Jesse said. "I mean, he was in Hell, and one of the... whatever it was next to him, said he belonged there – "

"You're curious, I suppose that's normal," the angel replied. "The vessel, that's what this human is called, was in Hell. That's how you know he doesn't belong."

"How's that?" Jesse asked suspiciously. 

"Evil souls go to Hell. When the body and the soul are together in Hell, it's a sure sign the person doesn't actually belong there."

"Is that true?"

"Living bodies don't belong in Heaven or Hell, and as far as I'm aware, that's only happened like six or seven times ever, so forgive me for not having a hard and fast rule ready for you."

"I just need to know I didn't raise a crazy serial killer or something!" Jesse snapped. 

"You didn't, okay? He was a good guy. Not perfect, but good. Single mom. Worked hard. Used to be a premed student, actually. Sure, he's got a few daddy issues, but who doesn't?"

"I don't."

"Lucky you. Look, the Big Guy asked you to grab him. You gotta know he's okay."

"It's hard to trust anyone," Jesse said quietly.

"You can trust this, okay?"

"You mean God."

"Yeah, that's who I mean. Rule one: no chick flick moments, understand? Now are you ready hot stuff?"

"Wait, what do I call you?"

"Me?" the angel asked. "My name's Gabriel."

 

Sam was the first to ask. "Did it work?"

"I expected lightning or something," Kevin replied. 

"Great, time well spent," Dean said tritely. "Can we go home now? I'm tired of – "

"You're not tired at all," a woman said. 

Dean actually jumped at the sight of her. 

"Who are you?" Kevin asked, instinctively moving closer to Sam.

"My name is Sarah-Rebecca," she said. "I believe you know me as Ruach."

"Ruach? The archangel?" Sam asked. 

"Please, Sarah-Rebecca. You were among those who released me," she replied. "Surely you know who I am."

"We don't," Dean said shortly. "Castiel told us about you, so we helped him out."

"And now you've just moved another of the Great Levers," she continued. "Do you know what you've done?"

"Kevin does," Dean replied simply. 

"I spent a long time learning what I could about you, Sam and Dean Winchester."

"Why?" Sam asked. 

"You've been protecting an enemy of Heaven," Sarah-Rebecca replied. 

"Nope, not us," Dean said casually.

"His name is Castiel."

"Cas is not an enemy of Heaven," Dean replied. He kept his cool like nothing else. 

"I agree," she said.

Sam's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Sorry, what?"

"I agree that he is not an enemy of Heaven," she repeated. "And I understand why you protect him."

"You're calling off the Heavenly hit out on him?" Dean asked.

"I will try, but Heaven's power is no longer centralized as it once was," she said. 

"You're saying you can't keep your soldiers in check?" Dean snapped.

"You know the story of Icarus?" she asked, but it wasn't really a question. "In its first incarnation, the story was not about a man but an angel. In his joy, his ecstasy, he forgot who he was, just for a moment, and that's all it took for him to plummet deep into the earth."

"Uh, what does that mean?" Sam asked. 

"It means I'm not as foolish as my predecessors. I won't tell you you're safe. Not when I know there is more than one angel with a personal vendetta against Castiel," she said simply. "Michael, Raphael, they both used an iron first, and they failed. So my orders will be to do no harm, but that is not a guarantee."

"Why are you here?" Kevin spoke up from behind Sam.

"To thank you."

"That's why there wasn't any thunder or lighting," Kevin said to himself. 

"So to speak," Sarah-Rebecca replied. 

"Awesome, we should go home now," Dean said, pulling out his car keys and walking away. 

"There is something you should know, Dean Winchester," Sarah-Rebecca said. "About the Great Lever you just helped to pull."

"And what's that?"

The archangel didn't reply. She was gone.

"Seriously?" Dean said up to the sky. 

"You'll come to know it in time," Kevin replied. 

"Thanks, Yoda. Pack it in."

 

They drove for over an hour in complete silence. 

"Let's get a motel," Sam suggested.

"We could be home by eight if we keep driving through the night," Dean replied. 

"Who'll drive when we all fall asleep?" Sam asked.

"Cas can drive. He doesn't sleep."

"I want to sleep in a bed," Kevin spoke up. "I vote for a motel."

Dean didn't respond, but as soon as he saw a sign up for a motel, he pulled off the highway.

 

Dean woke with a jolt. Castiel wasn't lying next to him. 

"Cas?" he said. 

"I've over here," Cas replied, not bothering to keep his voice down. Dean dimly remembered Kevin and Sam checking into the double next door.

"What's been going on with you, Cas?"

The angel didn't respond. 

"You know, that's usually your line," Dean said, making a face. "The whole getting me to talk thing."

"Dean, I – it doesn't matter."

"Something that bothers you this much matters to me."

"I assumed there would be more," Cas admitted. 

"More?"

"You told me before you know what it's like having an absent father. I've never met mine, but according to Kevin Tran, I've returned to him at least twice, possibly three times, and – " Castiel didn't finished. He just stopped.

Dean slid his hand up the angel's arm to his shoulder. "I don't know what that's like, never knowing your dad. God knows I idolized mine, wanted to be just like him for the first twenty-five years of my life. Longer, even."

"I just thought, maybe, there'd be something to say," Cas said quietly. "After – everything. That maybe Kevin's mission would somehow..." Cas changed his tone entirely. "It was foolish of me. I'm sorry for how I've been behaving."

"Really? That's it?" Dean asked sincerely. "You're just gonna blame yourself and act like everything else means nothing?"

Castiel didn't meet his eye, but he replied, "It works for you." The angel returned to looking out the window. Dean didn't think he'd get any more out of Castiel, so he changed the topic.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked.

"Just looking," the angel replied.

Dean joined Castiel in his gaze out the window. He planned to say something snarky, but the words fell out of his head as soon as his eyes landed on the sky. 

"Wow," he whispered. 

It was three in the morning, and the night was deep and black. Pin pricks of light ebbed and burst with each tick of the clock, as if the stars burned hotter that night for some reason.

"That's Heaven," Cas said, indicating the lights.

"The stars?"

"They just look like stars."

Dean shook his head. Romance was one thing, but was he really swooning over the freaking stars?

"I must be growing ovaries," Dean muttered to himself.

"That sounds like a serious medical problem," Castiel fussed. "Are you – "

"Joke, Cas, joke," Dean interrupted.

"Why do you – "

Crash! The sound of a car alarm blaring stopped Castiel from asking his question.

"That's a person!" Dean yelled as he ran out the motel room door, suddenly alert. 

"Dean, wait!" Cas said, but Dean didn't hear him. He was already outside only feet from the car. 

A woman's broken body mixed with the raw metal of the Volvo station wagon she landed on. It took Dean several moments to recognize who the body belonged to. 

"Naomi?" Dean said in astonishment.


End file.
